tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post3580999914511857790..comments2024-03-17T09:07:56.678+01:00Comments on The Gaming Philosopher: On the design of Half-life 2Victor Gijsbershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12770054233775973753noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-6765373293851209322017-08-24T08:34:04.653+02:002017-08-24T08:34:04.653+02:00Your philosophy is excellent about games.Do you pl...Your philosophy is excellent about games.Do you play games with <a href="http://www.whatgamingmouse.com/" rel="nofollow">Gaming Mouse</a>?WaqasJamal.brshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10060247394561799700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-35742243680812165472017-05-15T05:36:48.049+02:002017-05-15T05:36:48.049+02:00I think you totally missed the point. The half lif...I think you totally missed the point. The half life series is trying to make a statement about the quest for transcendent, abstract knowledge. What happens when you take that route as a scientist without an overarching mythological structure? you end up facing off against the nihilanth, who tells you that you can never know the truth. Its so blatantly talking about the damage the spectre of Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01268382416773395998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-18075065078874296672011-11-07T20:29:36.258+01:002011-11-07T20:29:36.258+01:00Just a small thing, choice wasn't as prevalent...Just a small thing, choice wasn't as prevalent of an issue back when they began creating this thing - sure, it came at the end of 2004, right along with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. But you have to consider where gaming was at in 1998, roughly where work began on Half-Life 2. Grand Theft Aut III is realy where I feel the expectation of choice began to be considered a given- that if exluded anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08606462937157771808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-88239740905374125632011-06-27T00:53:51.989+02:002011-06-27T00:53:51.989+02:00"If I can immerse myself in a theoretical phy...<i>"If I can immerse myself in a theoretical physicist called Gordon Freeman who battles aliens, surely I can also immerse myself in the same guy with a specific voice?"</i><br /><br />I'd argue that there's a huge difference there. The former has you putting on a mask; you are Gordon Freeman. The latter is more jarring. That voice is <i>you</i>. I'm fairly comfortable with Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-23424686304762422262011-06-24T13:35:35.165+02:002011-06-24T13:35:35.165+02:00Biep: that is consistent, of course. But it is not...Biep: that is consistent, of course. But it is not consistent with how the other characters react to you; and consistency is not a sufficient requirement for goodness.<br /><br />Anonymous: yeah, I have seen that "immersion" argument here and there. I don't buy it at all. If I can immerse myself in a theoretical physicist called Gordon Freeman (doing experiments -- there is all the Victor Gijsbershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12770054233775973753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-13919692884416585242011-06-22T15:42:57.759+02:002011-06-22T15:42:57.759+02:00"and there's a being out of time who mani..."and there's a being out of time who manipulates Freeman for purposes unknown."<br /><br />"Because that is me acting out a scenario you have thought up and imposed on me."<br /><br />I've never even seen the game, but what you describe seems completely consistent to me..Biephttp://biep.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-81327541721563165512011-06-22T02:38:59.898+02:002011-06-22T02:38:59.898+02:00The idea behind Freeman's muteness has been th...The idea behind Freeman's muteness has been that he isn't a character, you're supposed to become him. It's quite the opposite of the gameplay you describe, actually, since it at least allows you to have your own personality and reactions, even if they can't be reflected in the game. Marc Laidlaw even mentioned in an interview that Valve didn't actually want to have a face Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-52076283659693568722011-06-20T22:48:24.383+02:002011-06-20T22:48:24.383+02:00I find the non-speaking player approach interestin...I find the non-speaking player approach interesting. You know you're having emotional reactions to what's happening on screen, you infere then from other character reactions to yours, other than that, you're free to fill in the blanks. It's weird, but somehow it works with me.<br /><br />Linnearity is another story. It's so radical it makes me miss that little bit of rockersukehttp://www.rockersuke.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19575546.post-91251541506487361082011-06-19T15:44:00.847+02:002011-06-19T15:44:00.847+02:00Finally someone who echoes My sentiments on the st...Finally someone who echoes My sentiments on the story, which I really hated for being sketchy and lazy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com